Diocese of Fall River priest, serving in Arlington Diocese, placed on leave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2018

The following announcement from the Catholic Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, available at www.fallriverdiocese.org, was shared with the Diocese of Arlington on 10/22/2018.  Father Michael Kuhn, Y.A., served as chaplain at Paul VI Catholic High School from 2004-2008, and as assistant chaplain at Marymount University from 2017 to the present.  

Anyone with information regarding this allegation should contact the Manassas City Police Department’s Investigative Services Division at (703) 257-8092.  The Diocese encourages anyone who knows of any misconduct or abuse on the part of any cleric or employee of the Diocese to notify civil authorities, as well as to reach out to the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at (703) 841-2530. 

The diocesan child protection policy is online at  https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/child-protection/

FALL RIVER PRIEST, YOUTH APOSTLE MEMBER PLACED ON LEAVE
October 22, 2018

FALL RIVER — Father Michael F. Kuhn, Y.A., a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Fall River, Mass. and member of the Youth Apostles Institute, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged sexual misconduct with a minor in approximately 1975. The incident is alleged to have occurred in Manassas, Virginia, when Fr. Kuhn was roughly 18 years old, more than 20 years before he was ordained a priest in 1997.

Father Kuhn was ordained as a priest of the Fall River Diocese for service in the Youth Apostles Institute. He currently ministers in Virginia and Maryland.

The Fall River Diocese has been informed that Father Kuhn denies the accusation, and no determination has yet been made regarding its credibility. The decision to restrict Father Kuhn from ministry should not be construed as an implication of guilt but rather as a measure intended to facilitate the investigation.

As a priest in the Fall River Diocese, he served as a parochial vicar at the former St. Mary Parish in Seekonk, 1997 to 2000; and as chaplain at Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, 1997 to 2004. From there, he was assigned as chaplain, Paul VI High School Fairfax, Va., 2004-2008; director, Youth Apostles Community House, Thurmont, Md., 2009-; Campus Ministry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., 2011-2016; chaplain, St. John’s Catholic Prep, Frederick, Md., 2016-; and assistant chaplain, Marymount University, Arlington, Va., 2017-.

Like all priests, Father Kuhn has undergone criminal background checks during his service. 

Anyone who knows of any information that may be related to this case is asked to notify the Manassas City Police Department’s Investigative Services Division at (703) 257-8092.

As this difficult situation is addressed, prayers are asked for all who may be affected by these allegations.